Russia accuses Ukraine of striking Zaporizhzhia NPP. Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies it
Russia, the aggressor state, claims that Ukrainian forces attacked the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with a drone, prompting the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue an official denial. The russian federation’s accusations are viewed as yet another disinformation campaign.
This is indicated in a statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine firmly rejects the latest unfounded accusations by the Russian Federation regarding the alleged 'attack by Ukraine' on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, disseminated on May 30 by representatives of the Russian state corporation 'Rosatom'," the statement reads.
As a reminder, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev accused Ukrainian troops of an alleged attack on the plant. He claimed that a drone, supposedly controlled via fiber-optic cable, exploded near the machine hall building of Unit No. 6 of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs viewed the statement as yet another information operation by the occupation state of russia, aimed at diverting the international community’s attention from the source of nuclear danger at the Zaporizhzhia NPP — the illegal russian occupation of the plant.
"As always, Russian accusations lack logic: it is unclear why Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant located on its own territory, which it itself seeks to regain under its sovereign control," the statement added, emphasizing that russia is promoting a narrative in which the occupation power allegedly acts as their "protector."
The ministry emphasized that it is russia that has for years refused to provide international experts with full and unimpeded access to the ZNPP. In particular, international experts from the IAEA mission were not granted access to the western parts of the turbine halls of the power units, and access to other facilities and premises of the plant is systematically restricted under various pretexts.
In addition, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that russia launches a new wave of information manipulation regarding the Zaporizhzhia NPP practically before every meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors. And the russian federation’s current statement was made on the eve of the June session of the IAEA Board of Governors.
"We specifically address the member countries of the IAEA Board of Governors. For many years, the international community has responded to Russian nuclear provocations with statements of concern, calls for restraint, and diplomatic formulas. Russia responds to concern with new provocations, to calls for restraint – new violations, to diplomatic signals – further escalation. Ukraine calls on the 34 members of the IAEA Board of Governors to respond to the actions of the Russian Federation not only in statements but also in decisions,” the ministry concluded.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the members of the Board not to support granting the russian federation a seat on the IAEA Board of Governors at its June session.
Denial by the Ukrainian Defense Forces
Updated May 31 at 8:45 a.m. The Ukrainian Defense Forces have also officially refuted the russian allegations.
"The Russian Federation continues to use the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a tool for nuclear blackmail and information provocations. Reports circulated by occupation media about an alleged strike by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on ZNPP facilities are yet another attempt to discredit Ukraine and conceal their own criminal actions," the Southern Defense Forces emphasized.
The agency directly refutes the russian claim of a strike on the ZNPP and cites a number of arguments:
- Russia deliberately does not show high-quality photos or video footage of the alleged aftermath of the strike;
- the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not possess fiber-optic-controlled drones with such a long range, nor do they have drones equipped with a 5–6 kg cumulative warhead — which is precisely what is required to create the hole described by the russian side,
- the occupation forces themselves set up a multi-layered smoke screen around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — a drone could not physically fly through it unnoticed.
"The version being promoted by Russia does not stand up to any factual scrutiny. The Armed Forces of Ukraine operate within the framework of international humanitarian law. Article 56 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibits strikes on nuclear facilities. The Armed Forces of Ukraine adhere to it," the Southern Defense Forces concluded.
As the Ukrainian News agency previously reported, earlier in May, a drone attacked the External Radiation Monitoring Laboratory at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. IAEA experts found damage to some of the meteorological equipment at the External Radiation Monitoring Laboratory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP following the drone attack.